Author Archives: Laura

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Kaya Dzankich

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Kaya Dzankich, Color Stylist at Fox Television Animation.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I’ve worked since age 14 at a diverse array of jobs. At 18 I worked at a pizza joint and was held up at gunpoint. At 20 I was a lube tech at Jiffy Lube. Throughout my 20s I worked at our local, independent record store and got the finest education in music I could have ever asked for.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
The Cleveland Show.

How did you become interested in animation?
From as far back as I can remember I’ve loved animation and always knew I wanted to have a career in art. It was always a goal of mine even when Continue reading

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MICHELLE URBANO

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What is your name and your current occupation?
MICHELLE URBANO, CREATIVE PRODUCER

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
NEVER REALLY HAD ANY OTHER JOBS – MY DAD WAS AN ANIMATION DIRECTOR AT HANNA BARBERA AND GOT ME MY FIRST JOB THERE AFTER I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL. I GOT TRAINED BY THE BEST VETERANS IN THE BUSINESS.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
SOME DISNEY SPOTS FOR THE OSCARS, HARRY POTTER FILMS, LIMITED EDTION GALLERY CELS FOR WALTER LANTZ AND CHUCK JONES.

How did you become interested in animation?
I GREW UP WATCHING CARTOONS THAT MY DAD WORKED ON AND AROUND THE PEOPLE THAT WORKED ON THEM AND IT JUST SEEMED LIKE Continue reading

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Leonardo Trinidad

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Leonardo Trinidad and I’m Producer and Director at Rocket Cartoons in Costa Rica.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I guess you could say I was very lucky because I have never worked in anything that wasn’t animation or film, I started in this business since I was 18 and haven’t stopped yet!

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Of course my personal producctions, they are like my babies, to be specific Ivick Von Salza The Little Lumberjack, a series of 52×2 mins, which marks our debut as a production company and will be airing this year in Europe and Asia.

How did you become interested in animation?
Since I was a little boy I have always enjoyed drawing, but I never imagined the cartoons I watched were actually made by people who earned money for making them. One day Continue reading

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Alina Chau

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Alina Chau.  Currently I work for Lucas Film Animation as a 3D story artist on Star Wars: Clone Wars animated TV series.  We just released Season 4 trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDbRTHZ6CTs&feature=related

This is my first season on Clone Wars.  I am very excited about it!!

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I don’t have any crazy job experience really.  I am pretty luck, and never need to work hard as a kid … usually I just work for the schools as a librarians, teaching assistant, research assistant or school newspaper artist … pretty normal kiddy jobs … nothing to crazy or exciting.  LOL

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I enjoying working on Clone Wars.  It’s a different story development process.  Traditionally, most production start from script to storyboard then animatic or for 3D production, it’s previz.  Some 3D studios, they do both 2D animatic and then 3D previz … But at Lucas, we start from script then straight to 3D Previz.  There is no storyboarding in-between.  So as a 3D story artist, we get to work closely with our episode director and develop rough character animation/acting, cinematography/camera, 3D layout and editing of the whole show.  It’s challenging and fun.  There are many super talented artists, filmmakers and storytellers here, I learn a lot from all the talented people around. When I was at Continue reading

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Brenda Chapman

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Brenda Chapman – Director/writer Pixar Animation Studios, co-owner, director, writer, illustrator at Chapman Lima Productions.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Walking beans (walking through soy bean fields and cutting the weeds out), working in the kitchen of a retirement home (it’s horrifying what you find in coffee cups after breakfast!), stuffing envelopes for an insurance company (paper cuts!), working the service desk at Kmart (Blue Light Specials!) – ALL were crazy for OH so many different reasons.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
THE LITTLE MERMAID – my first job as a story artist, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST – trying to make Belle a stronger Disney heroine than the ones of the past, THE LION KING – taking the ‘B’ movie and working hard to make it an ‘A+’, all at Disney… PRINCE OF EGYPT – trying to create the first animated movie at DreamWorks – but then ANTZ jumped in before us – it was great putting together all the right people and creating a new studio… and BRAVE at Pixar – creating the first female main character heroines at that studio, completely inspired by my relationship with my daughter, my love of adventure, faerie tales and Scotland! – a true labor of love.

How did you become interested in animation?
I loved to draw all the time when I was a little girl. I watched Bugs Bunny and other Warner Bros. cartoons everyday after school, loved the old Disney films… When I realized Continue reading

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Dani Michaeli

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Dani Michaeli, currently story editor on “The Aquabats Super Show!” premiering this Fall on the Hub!!

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
At ages eleven and twelve, I performed as a ventriloquist at talent shows, birthday parties and on local television. After college, I worked as an apple, giving out free samples of apple juice on the streets of San Francisco. I worked in a Halloween super store. I took pictures of people sitting on Santa’s lap in a department store. I worked in a low budget chemical plant and had my arms dipped in some fluid that dissolved the rubber gloves I was wearing. I had a temp job that involved reading aloud numbers ranging from one to four, although most were either two or three — so a one or a four was kind of a big deal. I had a lot of crazy jobs.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
My current job on “The Aquabats Super Show!” and also “South Park”, “SpongeBob SquarePants”, “The Mighty B!” and “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”.  I’ve been lucky to be involved with some of the best and most special shows on TV.

How did you become interested in animation? 
I come to animation from being a fan as well as having a degree in filmmaking. Before starting in my first animation job, Continue reading